Growing up in a musical family that admired bands and artists such as The Beach Boys and David Bowie, Ryan, going by his artist name of RYNO, always felt like a career in music was his calling. Having already opened for Sir Paul McCartney as a member of his previous project, he’s currently developing his own unique sound and style.

Now, with an EP titled Pervade due out later this year and his new single “Stars In The Sky” out on February 25, RYNO kindly agreed to this interview to chat inspirations, ultimate ambitions and Alanis Morrisette. 

PW: Please introduce yourself.

RYNO: My name is Ryan but since little league baseball, my brothers and friends have called me RYNO.

PW: How would you describe your music?

R: Alternative pop. There are influences coming in from all over the place, but the core comes from growing up on all different styles of pop.

PW: Is there any band or artist you think you sound most similar to?

R: There are a lot of new groups that inspire my sound like The 1975, St. Lucia, Capital Cities, Mat Kearney and Walk The Moon. Growing up with three older brothers and parents who were all strong musical influences, I also draw from older groups like The Police, The Beach Boys and Queen.

PW: What would you say is your unique selling point?

R: I’m not sure if it’s a selling point but some find it unique that I always perform in socks.

PW: How did growing up as part of a musical family influence your decision to go into music yourself?

R: I always had the feeling I would grow up involved in music, although as a kid, I was enthralled with baseball.

PW: Can you remember the first record you bought and concert you attended? How did those impact you in terms of making you think ‘yeah I want to do this’? 

R: The first album I bought was Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. Interestingly, I think that album has influenced me even more today than it did then. She seemed to have a really clear vision on strong and meaningful song-writing. My first concert was Torn Within, my brother Brad’s band. I was far too young to be at the show, which made it that much cooler. I was so inspired by Brad and his band-mates. I started playing bass immediately but soon after started acoustic guitar to try and accompany my voice.

PW: Tell me about your single “Stars In The Sky”, is there a story behind it?

R: My favorite part about ‘”SITS” is while writing it with my bro Todd and our buddy Swift, I felt like we were all channelling a different emotion or feeling. That made me realize that that song was special because of how relatable it was to so many real life situations. Honesty always speaks strongest.

PW: The track features on your upcoming EP, The Pervade. What can you tell me about that?

R: The EP is full of references to life, adventure and love. The ultimate message is that anything is possible. Find your adventure, travel the world to find your love and make whatever you want with your life.

PW: Could you pick a favourite track?

R: I’m really proud of the musical interludes. That concept is brand new for me and purely for the love of crafting an artistic movement. My favorite track right now is probably “I’ll Take Forever” for which we shot a really fun video and have been getting some really great remixes back for.

PW: How easy or hard do you find the song-writing process?

R: It totally depends on the song. I love collaborating with different folks – it brings different energy to different works of art.

PW: In your opinion, which is the greatest song ever written and why?

R: “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police. It’s a brilliant pop record.

PW: As part of your previous project, after winning the Hard Rock Rising – International Battle Of Bands, you got to open for Paul McCartney in Hyde Park. What was that like?

R: The festivals’ headliners were Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder and McCartney. We beat out hundreds of bands from all over the world to open for Sir Paul. That experience was indeed life changing.

PW: Which three bands or artists, who can be living or dead, would you most like to share a stage with and why?

R: Queen, David Bowie and SIA – all true limitless artists.

PW: What are your tour and performance plans?

R: My next performance is at the Viper Room in Los Angeles on February 25.

PW: How do you feel about social media? Would you agree that it’s important for bands and artists to be interactive with their fans and audience through using it?

R: It’s absolutely necessary.

PW: Finally then, what’s your ultimate ambition as an artist? At what point would you happily say ‘yeah I’ve achieved everything I wanted to?’

R: I don’t think I’ll ever get to that point. I’ll always want to expand myself creatively and musically.

Check out “Stars In The Sky” below and for more information on Ryno, be sure to visit his website, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.